Media Plurality and Ownership

The total collapse of freedom, pluralism and diversity in Turkey’s mainstream media

Mainstream media in Turkey are heavily restricted, with Freedom House categorising the Turkish media as ‘not free’ and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranking Turkey 154th out of 180 countries in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index. 150 media outlets have been shut down, and mass trials are being held under the state of emergency launched after the failed 2016 coup. […]

The Murdoch-Disney Buy-Out: What consequences for British viewers?

Following confirmation that a substantial part of the 21st Century Fox media business is being sold to Disney, Sylvia Harvey, Visiting Professor in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds, reflects on what this might mean for British viewers.

In December 2017 it was confirmed that Rupert Murdoch is selling a substantial part of his 21st Century Fox […]

The state of Hungarian media: Endgame

Hungary has been experiencing significant constitutional and institutional changes in the last seven years as Viktor Orban and his ruling party Fidesz cemented their political power by capturing the constitutional court and other key institutions. In parallel to the political capture of democratic institutions, media ownership became more and more concentrated in the hands of Orban and his close […]

Will Karen Bradley Refer SKY-FOX to the Competition and Markets Authority?

Anyone with evidence about whether the proposed Sky-Fox merger will operate against the public interest had until Friday 14 July to submit it to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. If nothing changes, argues Damian Tambini, Bradley will be tempted to take advantage of parliamentary recess and approve the deal.

Decision to refer Sky bid to regulator a blow to Murdochs – but will it be short-lived?

The planned full acquisition of the pan-European broadcaster Sky by the multinational media conglomerate 21st Century Fox has caused many concerns about news plurality, media concentration, and the vertical integration of internet service provision and content creation. In this post, Des Freedman (professor at Goldsmiths, University of London) comments on the statement by Culture Secretary Karen Bradley that she […]

Ensuring media diversity and plurality in Norway

In Norway, a government-appointed Commission on Media Diversity, focusing on citizens as media users, has recently published wide-ranging proposals to safeguard access to journalism at a time of significant turbulence and change. Here one of its members, Hallvard Moe, summarises the political context and the main recommendations of the Commission.

Ofcom should review Sky deal also because it’s a broadband supplier

In December 2016, Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox reached an agreement in principle to buy UK satellite broadcaster Sky. After Fox formally notified the European Commission of its bid on 3 March, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Karen Bradley has said that she is ‘minded to’ refer the deal to Ofcom on the grounds of media plurality and commitment to […]

Here’s why the Murdochs’ bid for control of Sky must be referred to Ofcom

After Fox has now formally notified the European Commission about its bid for the broadcaster Sky, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Karen Bradley, has 10 working days to decide whether to refer the bid to Ofcom for review. In this post, Martin Moore, Director of the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power at […]

Murdoch’s access to British prime minister shows media power still in hands of the few

In December 2016, Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox reached an agreement in principle to buy UK satellite broadcaster Sky, a deal which might trigger a public interest test on the grounds of media plurality and a review by Ofcom. Des Freedman, professor at Goldsmiths, and Justin Schlosberg, lecturer at Birkbeck and chair of the Media Reform Coalition, argue that […]

Where now for media reform in the UK?

The biggest issue for media policy in the UK in 2017 is Brexit, and during the coming months this blog will feature a number of posts on that topic as the government’s Article 50 strategy becomes more clear. In this first post of the year, Damian Tambini looks instead at some of the purely domestic issues that will dominate […]

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